GitHub’s Marketplace is open and ready for business

GitHub launched their new marketplace feature back in May. We’re checking in to see how bustling this little bazaar of apps and tools is doing. With seven new apps and four new categories, it looks like business is booming.

Back in May, GitHub launched their very own commercial section –the GitHub Marketplace. The GitHub Marketplace is a place where developers can easily discover, purchase tools to help customize their workflow. Pickings were a little slim to start off. However, things have improved as more apps have made it through the vetting process and join the new Marketplace.

What’s new in the GitHub Marketplace?

This week, GitHub announced seven new apps and four new categories for the Marketplace. Joining the initial three categories of code quality, code review, and continuous integration, GitHub now offers apps in:

Dependency Management

Localization

Security

Project Management

The new apps are pretty interesting as well. For code quality, Better Code Hub is an online static code analysis service that checks a code base for compliance to 10 software engineering guidelines. Basically, it provides development teams with immediate, relevant feedback on code quality.

GitLocalize is likely something that will be useful in today’s globalizing world. It’s a continuous localization tool built for communities and teams that want to simplify their workflow when translating their content. GitLocalize automatically syncs with your repository so you can keep your workflow on GitHub. It also keeps you updated on what needs to be translated.

In time management, WakaTime is an app that creates metrics, insights, and time tracking that is automatically generated from a dev’s programming activity. With fully-automatic project detection, language usage breakdown, private leaderboards, commit stats, and embeddable SVG charts, it’s likely to be a fairly useful management tool. Plus, the charts are pretty sweet.

Rules and regulations

Not any app could make it into the marketplace; an app must meet several fairly serious requirements before it can join the Marketplace. (That’s likely why it took so long for the newest apps to make it through the vetting process.) All of the requirements are pretty straightforward.

Several general requirements are downright commonsense: minimum of users and installations, apps must actually work, etc. Also, GitHub requires that apps stay within their lane by not requesting more scopes or GitHub than is absolutely necessary. Apps also have to have an incident response procedure, a vulnerability management workflow, and a responsible disclosure policy.

The security requirements are fair as well. They apps must use HTTPS or SSH for Git. They can’t keep user data forever, nor can they ask for a user’s GitHub password. Most importantly, they have to pass a Security Review process. No one wants to be scammed. And GitHub definitely does not want that to happen either. Hence the due diligence.

GitHub welcomes any new apps for the Marketplace. If you think your app is ready for the big leagues, check out the GitHub Marketplace!